National color raw owl

The sky is gray, the wild is vast, and the wind is blowing and the grass is low.

The Qingyuan Racecourse with a radius of tens of miles, looked around, was covered with greenery, and a simple tent had already been set up in the middle of the racecourse. Chu Huan was not in the tent at this time, but was sitting on an open space in the racecourse , looking up at the blue sky.

The climate in the northwest is harsh, with occasional wind and sand, but it does not mean that the blue sky and white clouds will never be seen. At least today is a beautiful spring day.

Looking at the clouds floating in the sky, Chu Huan felt uneasy.

The world is like a cloud, and Chu Huan knows that under the sky, any person is so insignificant that he can't even control his own destiny.

When he was in Liujia Village, he never imagined that his fate would undergo such a drastic change in just a few years. He was originally a commoner, but today he is the governor of Xiguan Road in power. I like to joke with the world, let the world understand that God never fulfills people's wishes.

When he returned to Liujia Village, he just wanted to give his family a final settlement and let himself have no worries, but along the way, the ties with the world have become deeper and deeper, and more and more.

Love and hatred, the five flavors of life.

These may not be what Chu Huan wanted, but God still gave them to him jokingly. Sometimes he doesn't understand whether this kind of life is really suitable for him.

"Chu Du, do you have something on your mind?" Qi Hong walked up to Chu Huan, sweating profusely, and sat down.

Chu Huan is different from ordinary officials. Although he is in a high position, he has no pretensions. Qi Hong was sent to Xiliang with him, and then he was selected by Chu Huan from the Guards to follow him. He has always treated him like a brother. , Qi Hong knew Chu Huan's temperament, and knew that Chu Huan was actually a very easy-going person. Although he was very awed in his heart, he was not restrained when he followed Chu Huan.

Chu Huan glanced at Qi Hong, but didn't speak immediately. After being silent for a while, he finally asked, "Do you think we have any hope of winning if Zhu Lingyue's army gets here?"

Qi Hong was taken aback, but he didn't expect Chu Huan to ask such a question. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "Whether it's a battle or a defeat, I will always follow Chu Du. Talk about the knife!"

Chu Huan laughed, patted Qi Hong on the shoulder, and said, "In this case, it should come from the mouth of a white blind man. How could you say that?"

"This is what the humble official said." Qi Hong sighed: "Chu Du, I have been with you for so long, you treat the humble official like a brother, and the humble official has been spoiled by the adults. I am afraid that I can't protect other people. If you really want blood this time Sprinkling the battlefield, the humble official is determined to live and die with Chu Du."

"I believe in you." Chu Huan nodded slightly.

Qi Hongdao: "Chu Du doesn't need to think too much. Although Zhu Lingyue has many people, he is not necessarily terrible. The tens of thousands of people under his command seem to be extremely powerful, but to be honest, they can really fight , I am afraid that there are only a few thousand imperial guards he originally belonged to, and the other soldiers and horses were all recruited in the past two years, without actual combat on the battlefield, and compared with our army, they are still far behind."

"Oh?" Chu Huan smiled.

"Chu Du, this is not nonsense." Qi Hong said seriously: "When I first joined the army, I followed the training every day. I thought I was capable enough. When I went out to kill people for the first time, my legs and feet were a little weak. Usually I forgot all about the training at that time. Speaking of it, killing as a soldier is as easy as eating, but before killing people, the feeling is completely different. After all, killing is not killing chickens and dogs, not carrying A sword has the courage to kill. If a group of recruits are pushed up during a war, then they will be sent to their deaths. Therefore, when recruits go into battle, they are led by veterans. Those who survive with the veterans can only slowly become tough after experiencing life and death. stand up."

Chu Huan nodded with a smile and said, "You are right. No matter how courageous you are, the first time you kill someone, you will always be a little afraid."

"Zhu Lingyue has tens of thousands of people. From the point of view of humble positions, I'm afraid there are not many who have really killed people. In our eyes, they are just a group of recruits. Once the recruits fight smoothly, it's fine, but if something happens, then The will is easily broken, and it can't be compared with the veterans who have experienced many battles." Qi Hong said: "In terms of the battle of Jiazhou, although it is said that the governor of Chu set up a clever plan to attract Beishan's army, they still have tens of thousands of people. The strength of the army is higher than that of General Xuanyuan, but in the end, the army was defeated like a mountain? If it were changed to the Guards, even if the enemy is strong and we are weak, they will definitely fight to the end and will never collapse and flee. Therefore, Tianshan Although the army has a large number of people, compared to experience, our Tianshan Army is almost all veterans who have experienced battles. If we attack each other, we are not without a chance."

Chu Huan patted Qi Hong on the shoulder with a smile, and said, "Hearing you say that, I feel a lot more relaxed."

"Chu Du, in fact, everyone has no fear in their hearts. For this sake, the Tianshan Army is really going to kill you. You will die or I will die. Everyone will put their heads on their belts and do their best." Qi Hong smiled and said: " I sometimes think about it, but fortunately Zhu Lingyue did not transfer troops from the Pingxi Army to expand his army, if these veterans of the Pingxi Army were really under his command, I am afraid that there would be no rivals for him in the entire Northwest."

"It's not that he doesn't want to, otherwise he wouldn't let Dongfang Xin command this army." Chu Huan stroked his chin and said, "It's just that he didn't dare to blatantly organize the army to prepare for war, and once the Pingxi Army was really organized into His Tianshan army will inevitably have distinct factions, Zhu Lingyue wants an army that is absolutely obedient to him, and it is only natural to recruit Tianshan children to join the army."

Qi Hong took off his helmet, touched his temples, nodded and said, "Yes, if Governor Chu hadn't killed Dongfang Xin in a swift and decisive manner, the Northwest today would have been ruled by Zhu Lingyue.

Chu Huan was thoughtful, silent for a moment, and then said: "Actually, what I am most worried about is not that Zhu Lingyue will lead the army to come. What I have been worried about is that Zhu Lingyue will nibble at every step."

"What does Governor Chu mean?" Qi Hong didn't understand for a moment.

Chu Huan sighed: "I have to admit that at present, Zhu Lingyue's cards are far above mine. You are right. Our Xiguan Army is almost all veterans. This is also our greatest advantage. However, although Zhu Lingyue's men are recruits Most of them have powerful cavalry, don't you forget that he has Marquis Gan beside him, and Marquis Gan has tens of thousands of Northwest Army capable of conscripting and fighting, the Northwest Army is not a recruit, is it?"

Qi Hong frowned, and said: "The Marquis of Gan doesn't distinguish between loyal and traitorous, it's really abominable. If it's just Zhu Lingyue, we might not have a slight chance of winning, but the Northwest Army got involved...!"

"If Zhu Lingyue takes Hezhou, swallows Jinzhou, and then does not rush to attack and stabilizes his position, that will be the most terrible result." Chu Huan picked a grass from the ground and put it in the corner of his mouth, "Blocking Jinzhou , the salt horse trade between us and Xiliang people will be cut off, and we will not be able to get the supply of war horses. Zhu Lingyue will continue to press eastward step by step, nibbling away at the land of Xiguan, and even sending troops and horses to attack the salt farms in Yuezhou. In that case, I can only watch and watch, there is nothing I can do... If he marches east this time, at least I still have a chance to fight him, otherwise I will not even find such an opportunity."

"Zhu Lingyue has a large army in his hands, and with the help of Marquis Gan, I'm afraid he doesn't take us seriously at all." Qi Hong said: "In his opinion, his Tianshan Army can already sweep across the entire northwest, so why bother?" Slowly, he wants to become the Northwest King, and he is more eager than anyone else."

"Yeah...!" Chu Huan looked at the sky and murmured to himself: "The situation is great. We can succeed in one fell swoop, so why waste time? That's fine, no matter whether we succeed or fail, we will eventually have a chance to fight him." male and female."

When Chu Huan looked up at the sky, Luo Dingxi was also looking at the sky.

Thousands of cavalrymen have been hidden in the old forest above the hill. In order not to let the movement here be known, all the horses have their mouths covered to avoid making a sound.

For this surprise attack, Luo Dingxi took great pains and arranged it meticulously. Xiao Huanzhang's funeral date is still a while away, but the number of guests in the first few days has been greatly slowed down. Compete in the first few days to worship the spirit, and in the following days, except for some officials and gentry who travel far away, they still occasionally worship, and the guests gradually become rare.

In the first few days, Luo Dingxi often appeared in front of people to arrange Xiao Huanzhang's funeral. It can be said that he was extremely tired from the busy schedule. After resting in the mansion for a few days, the funeral was handed over to his trusted officials to continue to handle it.

In the eyes of outsiders, Jiazhou was defeated in the first battle, and Xiao Huanzhang died later. Luo Dingxi was exhausted, and he was in poor health due to exhaustion, which is also a matter of course.

Naturally, no one thought that Luo Dingxi had secretly planned a sneak attack on Shuoquan under the cover of Xiao Huanzhang's funeral.

Who could have imagined that Beishan was holding a grand funeral for Xiao Huanzhang, and his No. [-] subordinate actually put aside the funeral and prepared to launch a surprise attack on Shuoquan. The action was kept confidential, except for Cixiu, his confidant, and many generals who had followed him for many years, but they didn't know the real purpose of this plan.

Luo Dingxi exhausted his wisdom to make this plan seamless. In his opinion, this is a perfect surprise attack plan, and it must be accomplished immediately.

Thousands of cavalry arrived at Ridge Mountain at night. At dawn, they were completely hidden in the dense forest of Ridge Mountain, and ordered the entire army to stand by and rest as much as possible.

Luo Dingxi and Cixiu had made careful calculations, they had to leave Ying's Nest Stream before dark, neither too early nor too late.

If you leave the Eagle's Nest Stream too early, no one can guarantee that you won't be found when you walk out. If it is too late, you will be nearly a hundred miles away from Shuoquan. Although the cavalry is fast, they will arrive at Shuoquan City before dawn.

The Eagle’s Nest Stream is less than twenty miles away, but the inside of the stream is too narrow, and it can only form a long snake one by one, passing through the Eagle’s Nest Stream one by one to reach the exit. The narrow passage of nearly twenty miles is not an easy task, and the timing is indeed difficult to grasp. Moreover, as long as the people in front stand still for a little bit, the people behind will not be able to move.